A trip to feed the Catfish

During my last conversation I had with my dad he told me that the only thing he regrets is the fact that he isn't going to make it out to my "little farm" and fish in my pond. On Wednesday, I drove out to our property and fed the catfish. I talked to my dad and told him to make sure and bring Richard and James (my brother's) with him anytime he wished to fish. I walked around the property and explained the detail of the land to him. You see this clearing over here? I think this would be a perfect place to build our house. It would nestle perfectly in the middle of these trees.

We will be able to sit on the back porch and look at all of the natural beauty that surrounds us.
Dad always loved nature, I guess that is why I have always loved it too.

We will be able to watch the huge pines sway in the wind. Doesn't the yard look beautiful, Dad?

And the wild daisy's are blooming. Daisy was my grandmother's name.




Yep, dad would have loved the "little farm" I hope he comes along in Spirit every time I go from now on.

The Sunset

The sun has set on my father's life.
He slipped peacefully away.
Although my emotions are crashing over me in tidal waves,
I know in my heart that he is in a better place.

This is all I have the heart to say.

I'm having a Crap Day

I have decided that today life sucks. Sure, it's sunny and beautiful outside. The temperature is about 75. A perfect day. But I feel like my head is a balloon and someone keeps blowing it up. It all started yesterday. I woke up feeling terrible, but I dragged myself out of bed and into work anyway. At about 10am I got a call from the school telling me that Nathan had thrown up in class and that I needed to go pick him up. So I left, and went to pick up a rather peppy child. He told me that he had been coughing and that is what caused him to gag. He basically threw up phlegm. He had not eaten all day and he was hungry, so we went and ate fajitas at our favorite Mexican place. Then we came home and took a nap and then we played Lego Indiana Jones on the Playstation 2 together. I got a phone call at 315pm from one of my neighbors to tell me that she was stuck in traffic and asked me if her boys could walk to my house after school. So I had four boys at my house. Then three more neighbor kids showed up. So from about 3:30 until 6 I had 6 boys and 1 girl at my house. I felt like I was living in a Children of the Corn movie or something. After a while, I noticed that all the kids were playing outside in the front yard, except Nathan. I went inside to check on him and found him asleep in our recliner. Ok, perhaps he isn't as well as I thought he was. He slept most of the evening, then he woke up terribly congested and complaining of sharp pain on the left side of his chest when he breathed. I felt his forehead and he was warm, and the thermometer confirmed that the had a 101 degree fever. So off to the E.R. we went in hopes that he did not have pneumonia. As soon as we got into the truck, he vomited all over the floorboard. SWEET! We get to the E.R. at around 11:00. They aren't too terribly busy, so we get placed into an extremely cold room rather quickly. Two hours later, someone comes in to take his vital signs, and I ask them if a Dr. is going to seem him tonight. They give me a very funny look and then ask, "No one has been in here?" I reply, "Not since the nurse brought us back, two hours ago." By this time Nathan was is major distress and discomfort. He was freezing, and frankly, so was I. They gave him a blanket, and then they went and got a Dr. Of course he came back apologizing for our long wait and told me that it has been a crazy night. Considering I only saw three other patients in the E.R., I was a bit dubious of this statement. But they did the chest x-ray, and it came back normal. Thank heavens. But he does have an upper respiratory infection. It is 3 am at this time. The give him a dose of antibiotic and give us our discharge papers and we get up to leave. Nathan is very unsteady on his feet. He makes it to then next bed beyond our curtain and collapses on it, and then proceeds to vomit all over the bed and the floor. Then he sits down in a chair beside one of their computer and dry heaves on it. Have he has collected himself, we proceed down the hall toward the exit. Apparently, the nurse spoke to the Dr., and we were flagged down just shy of the exit. He informed me that he could not send the boy home in the condition that he was in. So we were brought back in to a different room. This time were were both given a heated blanket. Nathan was give some more meds and we stayed another two hours. We finally escaped that frozen Hell at 5am this morning. I was so tired, I could hardly keep my eyes open. We got home and we both fell into bed and we didn't move until 1030 this morning. That's when I got a dreaded phone call. My dad. They have now put him on a morphine drip and they expect him to pass in 2-3 days. They want to know how soon I can be there. Unfortunately, I cannot get up there until Saturday. If he passes before I get there, that will be ok. I got to say my goodbyes to him a few months ago, and those are the memories that I prefer to keep. I have tried to avoid seeing him in this weakened and frail state. I just don't think my heart could withstand seeing him die. I really hope he goes before I get there. Anyway, I feel like crap, and it just hasn't been my week. And it's only Wednesday. But I'll get through it. I always does.

What's for dinner?

The boys have told me they are hungry. And you would never believe what they have asked me to cook them for dinner. First off, they want me to fire up the BBQ grill. Sounds easy enough so far. But Forrest wants me to grill up some Bananas. Does anyone have any good recipes for grilled Bananas?

He also wants me to grill some Chicken. A request that I can actually live with. I polled everyone in the family, and they were all happy with grilled chicken.
Lastly, Forrest and Nathan asked for grilled eggplant. Again, does anyone have any ideas for grilled eggplant? Thank God I have the Internet. I shall Google recipes for grilled eggplant and bananas. And then there was Nathan's request. This child loves eggs, so he wishes for me to make grilled eggs and bacon.

I'm starting to feel like a short order cook. Maybe I should go apply for a job at Waffle House. I'd feel right at home.

And the winner is...........

Congratulations to Random Chick for her winning entry into my poetry contest, Ode to Blogging.' So RC, I need your address so that I can mail you your prize as soon as it is completed.
I would like to thank all five of you who entered. Leah, your tanka was super, and
Mr. Shife, your poem was very sweet. And since you are with child, I will be sending you a special consolation prize in the mail as soon as you email me your address. And if you don't send me your address I will just have to get it from our dear Suzanne, who by the way, submitted an interesting non-haiku verse. And last but not least there was MJ and her violent love poem. We all know that deep down MJ is sweet loving and nurturing woman, and yearns for love and understanding. I hear ya sister. I hear ya. Phwap Pwhap Pwhap, here's your love and understanding. LOL

So I suppose, since all FIVE of you were so kind to write an entry for my contest, I should share my poem of why I love to blog.

"Blog Thou Art Loved"

I write to be heard
When I am happy
When I am sad
When things don't go my way
And when I'm glad that they have

I write to share
Things of nature
Things of beauty
Things of laughter
Things of life as it may come
And of the death of loved ones

I write because I love it.
The wonderful people that I have met
The wonderful dreams that I have shared
The wonderful fears that I have conquered
The wonderful life long friends I have made

Yes, to blog is to live
and to live is to love
To love is to laugh
and to laugh is to be free

So I write to live,
to love, and to laugh,
but mostly I write to set me free
and be me.

100th Post and Poetry Contest.

If you would like to read about how you can live with just 100 things then you could click here .
If you are interested in 100 things to do before you die then you can click here .
But I think you are more interested in what I'm going to do to celebrate my 100th post.
I'm going to have a contest. Yep, I stole the idea from Leah, but who cares. I mean after all, if you win, you'll get something. I don't know what you'll get. I haven't thought that far ahead. But it will most likely be homemade. And of course, it would be gender specific. Don't you folks like surprises. So now I guess I have to come up with a contest. Damn, this is harder that I thought. Ok, you guys have to write a poem. Not just any poem mind you. It has to be a poem about the things you love about blogging. You have until Friday, September 19th to submit your poem to the comment section of this post. So put your "Cat in the Hat" thinking cap on and start rhyming.

Rain Rain Go Away!

This is what our live view radar currently looks like. I wish I had this much green in my wallet!